It is relatively easy for those in a democracy to claim and demand our rights. To survive and even thrive we must learn to honour our collective responsibility to protect the very breath that makes those rights worthwhile.

“With freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk has not ended yet.”.

– Nelson Mandela

How freedom and responsibility connect may be best exemplified in the life and work of Nelson Mandela.

The 2020 theme of identity continues. As I hold up the standard set by Mandela, I realize we are all very different. We find our source of strength and determination from unique places. Part of doing the work to appreciate our own identify, helps us learn more during times like this.

In the Kickass Koach podcast episode dropped May 25th, I speak more on the original focus of my theme, derived from a reference to Socrates’ treatise aboutthe human soul as represented in the breath and Meacham’s connection between this and responsible leadership.

For the newsletter, I take my exploration to a dramatic place. As I was recording the podcast, I suddenly thought about the story and message of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and how it relates. I examine it in the newsletter and hope it is meaningful for you. I realize the link to my podcast was not correctly embedded in the newsletter this week but it can be accessed, as usual, on the website.

The weekly Instagram and LinkedIn video, is a more lighthearted reflection on responsibility referencing Daniel Levy’s (#SchittsCreek) recent acceptance speech.

Finally, in this post I examine responsibility as the price for freedom by considering the role of both leaders and citizens in a democracy to see the need to pay the price required for freedom to continue.

Freedom isn’t Free for Any of Us

I’m quite sure it wouldn’t be worth much if it didn’t call us to being better. Call us, at least, to respond. What were our ancestor’s fighting and giving their life for if it had so little value?

Freedom isn’t something we can simply demand. My generation and potentially those coming after, may have reduced freedom to a one sided right. I’ve certainly pounded my fist to demand it. I’ve also been in many marches and even been arrested at one. I belief in holding leaders and democratic institutions accountable.

All that said, I know there’s a price to be paid. Perhaps we are just starting to see that more clearly. With a volunteer professional military, most of us haven’t been confronted with one obvious cost but this pandemic is calling us to account.

Below I examine first the price leadership MUST pay to honour their role in a free society. After which, I explore the individual’s required fees in response to enjoying rights and freedoms.

The Cost of Freedom on Leaders

This may seem obvious to us all but leaders, whether in a democratic system or organization must honour the human need for freedom. Each has a unique role but they aren’t so very different.

The responsibility cost for leaders is accountability and something I am going to call consistency. I call it consistency because it is about honouring the need a benefit of establishing trust and maintaining it.

First I will talk about political leaders. In politics, again in the frame of democracy, we have seen the damage done by those who stoke fears and drive divisions to gain power. This disgusting approach to leadership erodes freedom in a democracy in ways almost nothing else can. We can all see it raising it’s head around the world. While the pandemic is illuminating its impact dramatically, we have been able to see it throughout history. Honour and integrity in our political leaders and parties is essential for freedom and human rights to prevail and to thrive.

Second, talking about organizational leaders is a bit different but not entirely. Organizations are not a democracy. Just the same we’ve learned over and over about the importance of leaders to engage DRs (direct reports) rather than direct them. The leaders who produce the best outcomes are those who put people first by supporting their development, listening to their input and embracing their full involvement in the process. It makes sense but organizations are rarely arranged to fully support leaders who intuitively know this.

Both these types of leaders, if they want to be remembered as successful, must pay the price by being hyper responsible to the electorate or a balanced set of stake holders.

The Price of Freedom for Citizen’s and Individual Contributors

The reflection on Bonhoeffer’s sacrifice and teachings really crystallized this insight. We may all have become too confident that our rights and freedoms are inherent and therefore, fixed for time in millennium. Moreover, this mistaken belief seems to have made many cocky and demanding rather than humbly serving the needs of society.

First, with regard to our engagement in society. Historically people fought and died so we could enjoy these rights and freedoms. We MUST hold our political leaders accountable to honouring them. At the same time we too, must hold up our end of the bargain. We must be responsible to the common good. Our military is showing us the way, interestingly. The least we can do is wear a mask, listen to advice and support the larger community.

Second, in workplaces we need to step up and be responsible too. It is not a democracy and still we can be responsible for the common good by using our voices and requiring a respectful and thoughtful culture for our self and others. Furthermore, governance of organizations within a democracy should be held to account by employees, boards, investors, customers/clients. All stakeholders are part of the overall system. While leaders have a unique responsibility it is not exclusively theirs.

The price we are willing to pay will determine the quality of the freedom and rights we enjoy.

Life is one big Experiment

I couldn’t help thinking how the United States of America often refers to its democracy as the “Big Experiment”. It’s painfully obvious that their current leader is the antithesis to Nelson Mandela. It is easy for Canadians to laugh and cry about the horrors of the current US Administration and its systemic dismemberment of the coalitions that built the free world over the past 70 plus years. It truly has been a shit-show that is defecating all over itself during this pandemic. That said, we must be very careful about being self congratulating in Canada. We have a deficit in what we spend to cover our debt to cover the cost of our freedom too. Moreover, It is easy to disregard the Canadians who are heavily influenced by US-fueled rhetoric, but we must all do more than that.

We may be capable of more closely monitoring and learning from our choices and decisions and build capacity to adjust our actions to meet the current situation. Then, we may influence how things unfold. There’s a difference between wanting something and making something happen. With the mindset necessary to perform under pressure we are able to influence results more deeply. This mindset that relies on clarity, curiosity and a resilient spirit we accept no excuses, only meaningful results. Furthermore, it’s essential we have a system to evaluate the risk of any action, removing the very human emotions that cloud our judgment. Walk with me. Together let’s examine options consciously and authentically to make choices that move us strategically toward where we want to be. Strategy is a about choices. Execution on these choices requires masterful performance. Furthermore, a well developed process allows us to enjoy the journey far more fully.

Be part of the journey in 2020.

Start by subscribing to my mailing list . Subscribers receive:

My interactive exercise to begin reducing the impacts of stress and feelings of overwhelm will be sent.
My newsletter with the related podcast episode will be sent weekly.
Special offers will be available to subscribers monthly including: a random offer of a complimentary one hour coaching conversation, access to roundtable engagements and group coaching on identity and related subjects, as well as information on an initiative on which I’m collaborating: #FeMasCon.

Freedom to Responsibly Bank Your Impact (BYI)

The capacity to bank your impact in the world is a freedom we are lucky to enjoy in a democracy. The responsibility to build the skills to be effective is one each of us will benefit from engaging. A career built on the skill of navigating and responding to opportunities as they arise is generative and progressive.

The BYI system helps participants build the strength to engage when challenges appear. It’s an approach focused on identifying options, making wise choices and committing to influencing desired outcomes. Furthermore, it takes a systematic and experiential approach to influence the outcomes we produce. Moreover, becoming aware of who we are being and how it produces the results in our life is a consequence of the choices we made and how we execute on those choices. Ultimately, creating the life we want starts with the actions we choose to take.

To get what we truly want in life, we need to be willing to persist, seek help, and continually look for transferable learning opportunities. Additionally, we need to be willing to question our choices and expand our options through healthy curiosity and a search for unique perspectives. Moreover, identifying and nurturing our identity is the place to start. A healthy meaningful and full life is made possible with clarity about our values, beliefs, patterns and habits. Additionally, our quality of life is influenced and shaped by our unique blend of strengths and inclinations. Undoubtedly, a growth mindset and open-minded approach are foundations to sustaining this healthy sense of self.

The System

The Bank Your Impact (BYI) System is about both developing and embedding self-awareness. Furthermore, the benefits of expanded resilience, connections built on understanding the impact of belonging and an ability to bolster a professional and authentic presence are foundational. Perhaps more than the other two, developing a foundational resilience is critical to with standing that which moves us into burnout.

The current system incorporates 1:1 coaching, roundtable conversations; eventually I’ll add a neuro-social learning experience (currently only available in organizational contracts but will be added to the system for individual engagement in 2021). My approach is based on the ICF (International Coaching Federation) standards. I’m meeting you (my clients) where you are, both as the coaching agreement begins, and in the moment that exists at the time of each conversation. Progress or growth is not a straight line. The ICA model is the framework for every conversation: Issue/Insight, Choice/Commitment, Action/Accountability. Over the past year I’ve been tightening the model to meet the needs of my clients.

Holding space to support my clients in:

Developing meaningful insights
Expanding/deepening perspective on those insights
Building/designing a practice to try on new ways of being/seeing OR experiment for discovery
Assessing progress, becoming agile in transfer of learning and application before developing additional insights

An organic experience

The experience is tailored around what you bring to each conversation, in my experience, there are common themes that arise including: self-awareness, mindfulness, mindset, communication, connections, and attitude. Self-awareness stands alone but is also a foundational theme. I have registered upwards of 40 sub-concepts that fit under each of these categories. Furthermore, I bring tools, skills and techniques to respond and guide our work together, informed by positive psychology, neuroscience, and management/leadership research.

Walk With Me, to Where You Want to Be

In all my blog posts in 2019, you will find this section outlines what brought me to this area of focus: supporting people in the early to middle part of their career as a #performance #coach.

You can read more about my work and my in the About Me section of the website and below is a recording of my #bigwhystory:

Feel like you’re living someone else’s destiny?

If that’s working for you, great. If it isn’t or it starts to be a problem, reach out. I welcome a conversation.

Willing to do the work to find more meaning?

With the skills to unpack the emotions and barriers and triggers and mindset challenges with the skills in my BYI system, participants begin to see the impact in their career and finally begin to discover what matters most to them. The bonus: they begin to see a path to get there. Join me… My system is intended to be meaningful, relevant, accessible and affordable. With that in mind, there are many ways to engage with me. Below are TWO ways to start, without spending a dime.

Walk with Me!

BOOK a complimentary exploratory 1:1 conversation 20-30 minutes.
SUBSCRIBE to my mailing list. You’ll receive an interactive exercise that you may use to reduce and manage stress or feelings of overwhelm. PLUS each week you’ll receive my podcast and reflections in your inbox AND you’ll be invited to monthly webinars and roundtable conversations.

In closing, I love bringing learning experiences to workplaces that are interested in raising their performance and encouraging their people.

Book me to speak at your conference or to a group in your organization. My workshops on building resilience, improving workplace outcomes through relationships, and increasing performance are big hits! In 2020 I’ve added a few workshops on gender engagement – how, by knocking off the boxes that limit us by gender we all find our capacity expands.

Freedom is Costly